Holder for flat-sided parts for tape wrapping machine

ABSTRACT

A DEVICE TO BE USED WITH APPARATUS FOR WRAPPING TAPE AROUND A THREADED, FLAT-SIDED ARTICLE SUCH AS A HEXAGONAL HEADED BOLT, THE DEVICE BEING AN ADJUSTABLE HOLDER WHICH ENGAGES OPPOSITGE FLAT SIDES OF THE BOLT HEAD TO PREVENT THE BOLT FROM TURNING AS THE TAPE IS WRAPPED AROUND ITS THREADS.

Jan. 19, 1971 E. INKA HOLDER FOR FLAT-SIDED PARTS FOR TAPE WRAPPING MACHINE Filed Nov. 1, 1968 INVENTOP F 0215 ffika' United States Patent 3,556,903 Patented Jan. 19, 1971 3,556,903 HOLDER FOR FLAT-SIDED PARTS FOR TAPE WRAPPING MACHINE Egons Inka, Chicago, 111., assignor to Crane Packing Company, Morton Grove, 111., a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 1, 1968, Ser. No. 772,780 Int. Cl. B23b 5/22, 33/00; B32b 31/02 US. Cl. 156-425 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device to be used with apparatus for wrapping tape around a threaded, flat-sided article such as a hexagonal headed bolt, the device being an adjustable holder which engages opposite flat sides of the bolt head to prevent the bolt from turning as the tape is wrapped around its threads.

This invention relates to machines for wrapping a thread-sealing tape such as unsintered polytetrafluoroethylene around the threads of bolts or the like and particularly to a holding device for holding the bolts against rotation as the tape is being wrapped therearound.

In my copending United States application Ser. No. 773,456 filed Oct. 28, 1968, there is disclosed a device for holding small articles against rotation as the articles are being wrapped with a thread sealing tape. The device engages an article at some point a short distance from the machine and then rotates the article into alignment with the machine, following which the aligned article is pushed into the thread-applying zone of the machine. Although such device can be used for holding larger articles such as the larger bolts, it is primarily intended for recessed or squared plugs which do not have a hexagonal head by which the article can be held.

The principal object of this invention is the provision, in a tape wrapping machine or the like, of a holder for threaded articles having at least one flat side by which the holder can prevent the article from turning.

In the aforementioned holding device, the article to be wrapped is held by the device until physically grasped and removed therefrom. It is desirable, however, to have the article fall from the wrapping machine when the wrapping operation is completed to save the time required to remove it therefrom.

It is accordingly another object of this invention to provide a holder for flat-sided articles to be Wrapped wherein said holder does not frictionally hold the article, but merely prevents the article from turning.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a holder for fiat-sided articles to be tape-wrapped wherein said holder allows the article to move freely vertically and horizontally to follow eccentric movements of the tape wrapping rollers of the machine.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken together with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the portion of the tape wrapping machine to which the holder of this invention is applied, and

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the portion of FIG. 1, shown in section, the section being taken along line 22 of FIG. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows at the ends thereof.

By way of general description, this invention in the form selected for illustrative purposes is comprised of a circular frame which is interchangeable with the standard circular frame encircling the access opening of a thread taping machine. By access opening is meant the opening in the front of the box enclosing the machine through which the articles to be wrapped are inserted. Said new circular frame has a pair of parallel horizontal guides on which the holder is slidable laterally. The holder itself is comprised of spaced vertically disposed jaws held a fixed distance apart by spacers and clamping screws, the spacers being selected to equal the distance across flats of the article to be wrapped. The jaws, however, are slightly relieved so that the space between them at the article is slightly larger and hence the article can move vertically relative to the jaws, while the holder itself can slide horizontally on the horizontal parallel guides. When the wrapping operation is completed, the article falls out from between the jaws, making way for another article.

Referring now to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention, the front of the tape wrapping machine to which it is applied is shown at 10. The details of said machine are not a part of this invention, other than that it has three rollers, 11, 12 and 13, a tape supply 14, a tape cutoif 15 and a rotatable platen 16 on which the three rollers are pivotally mounted (not shown) for radial movement toward and away from the axis of rotation of platen 16. It is contemplated that a threaded article to be wrapped will be inserted between the three rollers, and that the platen 16 will be rotated, thereby causes the rollers to planetate about the article and roll the tape into its threads. The tape itself is an unsintered polytetrafluoroethylene ribbon which, when pressed into the threads of the article Will adhere thereto, and when the article is threaded into a threaded recess in a casting or the like, the tape will form a fluid-tight seal between the article and casting.

Because of manufacturing inaccuracies in the supports for the rollers 11, 12 and 13, they may not be equidistantly spaced from the axis of the platen and hence an article held between said rollers will follow an eccentric path. The holder of this invention will permit such movement, as will now be described.

Front 10 has a circular opening over which is placed a ring 18 having a radial attaching flange 19 secured to front 10 by appropriate bolts 20. A pair of horizontally disposed parallel rods 21 and 22 are press-fitted or soldered in openings in ring 18 above rollers 11, 12 and 13. Said rods act as guides for a pair of jaws 23, 24, which have appropriate holes drilled therethrough through which said rods pass. law 23 has vertically spaced horizontal threaded openings 25, 26 in which are received threaded rods 27, 28. Said rods 27, 28 pass freely through openings 29, 30 in jaw 24 so that jaw 24 may be moved toward jaw 23. Nuts 31, 32 on threaded rods 27, 28 limit movement of jaw 24 to the right as viewed in FIG. 1, and serve to clamp spacers 33, 34 between jaws 23 and 24.

Spacers 33 and 34 are metal blocks with recesses 38, 39 in the back thereof through which rods 27 and 21, respectively, may pass, and a recess 40 in the bottom thereof which straddles rod 28. It is contemplated that a variety of spacers will be available to provide a number of spacings between jaws 23 and 24 to accommodate bolts of different sizes. Removal of a spacer is readily accomplished by loosening jaws 23 and 24 and then pivoting the spacer about rod 28 until it is clear of rods 27 and 21, following which the spacer is lifted off rod 28.

It is contemplated that the heads of the bolts to be tape-wrapped will be inserted between the lower ends of the jaws as shown in dotted line at 35, so that the combined width of the spacers will at least equal the dimension across the flats of the bolt head. Actually, it is desirable that the head be loose between jaws 23, 24, so that upon completion of the tape Wrapping operation the bolt will fall out from between said jaws. Thus, if spacers are selected which exactly equal the dimension across flats,

the bolt may be too tight since the bolt dimensions may not be held to close tolerances. The requisite looseness may be assured by slightly relieving the sides 36, 37 of the jaws 23 and 24, respectively, as shown in FIG. 1.

It may be noted that jaws 23, 24 may move freely sideways on guide rods 21, 22, and that the bolt head 35, being loose in jaws 23, 24, may move freely vertically in said jaws. These two degrees of freedom make it possible for the bolt head to move with the rollers in any eccentric motion that they may have imparted to them by the rotation of platen 16.

To use the holding device of this invention, the bolt or other threaded article to be tape wrapped is inserted into the space between rollers 11, 12 and 13 with the head placed between jaws 23 and 24. The threaded end of the bolt engages an axially movable trip 38 (FIG. 2) which initiates the wrapping operation. The rollers are moved radially inwardly against the bolt threads by ap propriate means, such as that described in the copending application of Robrt A. Bilbrey Ser. No. 615,519 filed Feb. 13, 1967, and platen 16 is rotated to wrap the tape around the article. The rollers grip the bolt sufficiently throughout the wrapping operation to make it unnecessary for the operator to hold the bolt and he is therefore free to grasp and orient the next bolt during the remainder of the wrapping operation. When the wrapping operation is completed, platen 16 stops, rollers 11, 12 and 13 move radially outwardly to release the bolt, and the latter then falls into a waiting bin while the operator inserts the next bolt into the machine.

When other devices are to be tape wrapped in the machine which devices do not have at least one flat side, the holding device can be removed by removing bolts 20 and a plain ring (not shown) can be bolted in its place to leave the opening 17 completely free.

I claim:

1. In combination, a device for wrapping tape around flat-sided articles, and a holder for said articles while they are being wrapped, said device having a front panel with an opening therein through which the articles are inserted and in which they are held while being wrapped, and said holder comprising a ring, means securing said ring in said opening, guide means extending across said opening and secured to said ring, spaced clamp members slidably mounted on said guide means, a spacer between said clamp members, and means clamping said clamp members against said spacer, said clamp members being adapted to hold an article loosely therebetween against rotation relative to said ring.

2. The combination described in claim 1, said guide means comprising parallel rods extending across said ring and secured to said ring, said clamp members having openings therein through which said rods extend.

3. The combination described in claim 1, said spacer comprising a block having notches to receive the clamping means whereby said block may be removed from between the clamping members upon loosening said clamping means.

4. The combination described in claim 1, said clamping means comprising a threaded rod and a nut, said guide means comprising at least one rod extending across said ring and secured to said ring, said clamp members having openings therein through which said clampingand guide rods extend, and said spacer comprising a block overlying said threaded rod and guide rod and having notches in which said threaded rod and guide rod are received, whereby said block may be removed from between the clamping members upon loosening said clamping means.

5. The combination described in claim 1, said clamping means comprising substantially parallel threaded rods and individual nuts for each rod, said guide means comprising parallel rods extending across said ring and secured to said ring, said clamp members having openings therein through which said clamping and guide rods extend and said spacer comprising a block overlying said threaded rods and having notches in one side thereof through which said threaded rods and one guide rod extend, said block having a notch in one end thereof through which a second threaded rod extends, and upon which said spacer may rest and pivot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,834,499 5/1958 Semkow 156-486 3 ,O44,372 7/ 1962 Humphreys 156-1 84X 3,414,451 12/1968 Sejda 156-486X 3,470,057 9/ 1969 Stuart et al l56-486X BENJAMIN A. BORCHETI, Primary Examiner J. M. HANLEY, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

